I’m looking for 25,000 optimists who believe in spreading good cheer regularly, doing nice things for others and making the world a better place. If 25,000 people donated only $1, I would meet the goals set.
Is this POSSIBLE? Definitely.
25,000 people is only 0.000374 % of the world’s population.
25,000 people is only 0.00822 % of the United States’ population.
25,000 people is only 0.3 % of New York City’s population.
$25,000 is 0.04 % of McDonald’s daily revenue ($60,000,000).
$25,000 is only 0.0165% of the revenue earned during Spiderman 3’s opening weekend ($151,116,516).
$25,000 is only 0.00000571% of the projected holiday spending in America ($437.6 billion).
Author(s): Charles Benbrook, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist
The Organic Center
Genetically-engineered corn, soybeans, and cotton now account for the majority of acres planted to these three crops. A model was developed that utilizes official, U.S. Department of Agriculture pesticide use data to estimate the differences in the average pounds of pesticides applied on GE crop acres, compared to acres planted to conventional, non-GE varieties.
The basic finding is that compared to pesticide use in the absence of GE crops, farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides over the last 13 years as a result of planting GE seeds. This difference represents an average increase of about 0.25 pound for each acre planted to a GE trait.
GE crops are pushing pesticide use upward at a rapidly accelerating pace. In 2008, GE crop acres required over 26% more pounds of pesticides per acre than acres planted to conventional varieties. The report projects that this trend will continue as a result of the rapid spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds.
The full report is 69 pages, and is accessible below. The Executive Summary is posted separately (15 pages). The Supplemental Tables listed in the report’s Table of Contents are also posted below.
I studied biology at UC Davis. I was told that biotechnology was good—it helped save the world, feed the hungry, and make infertile lands fertile. I bicycled through genetically modified corn fields lined with bright signs boasting their greatness. There was never a moment during my education that I was warned against the possible harms of genetically modified organisms.
Possible Benefits of GMOs
I believe that biotechnology has the potential to do amazing things. For example, many children around the world suffer from vitamin A deficiency which leads to innumerable deaths. Because of biotechnology, it is possible to engineer rice, a relatively cheap food source, to have vitamin A which would help alleviate this deficiency and its consequent deaths.
Scientists have also made beneficial use of the “glow gene.” Researchers have cloned the gene that makes fireflies light up—luciferase. Luciferase is an indicator of living things because it lights up in the presence of ATP (cellular energy). It can be used to check for bacterial contamination in water, food, and cosmetics for instance. It is also being used to test the efficacy of cancer drugs on tumors.
Health Hazards of GMOs
Although the originally conceived ideas for genetically modified organisms were progressive and idealistic, the current practices and applications have turned out to be threatening to human health, environmental health, and economic health. According to the Institute for Responsible Technology, research shows that GM corn feed causes sterility in pigs and cows, GM cotton spurs severe allergic reactions among the workers and communities where it is grown, and GM potatoes cause abnormal pre-cancerous growth in the intestinal lining of rats. There have been no extensive, long-term studies that prove that GM foods and products are safe for human and animal consumption.
Even with the insurmountable evidence suggesting they cause disease, GM ingredients are found in at least 75% of the processed foods offered at traditional grocery stores in the U.S. Most ingredients derived from corn, soy, rapeseed (canola) and cottonseed are genetically modified unless they are labeled “organic.” Almost all milk and milk products that are not organic have come from cows that have been injected with genetically modified growth hormone (rBGH). If you look at the ingredient list of any cereal, soup or frozen dinner, you will likely find corn syrup, soy lecithin, and canola oil.
What is the rest of the world doing?
Unlike the US, the EU has heeded the advice of many scientists and enforced much stricter regulations and labeling guidelines for GM products. Consumers are able to make informed decisions about what they buy because GM ingredients are generally labeled. Very few GM crops are allowed to be grown, and only after an extensive review process of their health and environmental consequences. In general, EU-approved GM crops are not meant for direct consumption.
I’m looking for 25,000 optimists who believe in spreading good cheer regularly, doing nice things for others and making the world a better place. If 25,000 people donated only $1, I would meet the goals set.
